What is Cryoprotectant? Please provide me research specific answer specially its applicability to cell culture.
Cryoprotectant is substance that prevents the formation of ice crystal that subsequently causes cell death the obvious example is glycerol and Dimethyle sulphoxide DMSO the later is widely used in conjunction with fetal bovine serum( 1ml of DMSO and 9 ml of FBS)
Hello
A cryoprotectant is a substance used to protect biological tissue from freezing damage. Due to ice crystal formation cell membrane and cell integrity can ruptured. cryoprotectants are usually antifreeze compound.
Thank you
Cryoprotectants such as DMSO and glycerol have a primary function of protecting cells from rupturing upon cryopreservation as the process is already stressful enough. Some cryopreservation protocols prefer glycerol while most utilize DMSO. Despite their seemingly similar utility, there are some points to be taken into consideration:
- DMSO is an excellent cryoprotectant but it may sometimes trigger differentiation of certain cell lines (e.g. stem cells) and thus, alternatives such as glycerol may be chosen for specific applications.
- Glycerol is less toxic compared to DMSO although it may cause other problems such as osmotic lysis of eukaryotic cell culture.
The meaning of CPAs is clear from above mentioned description and indeed it is any agent have the ability to prevent the ice formation during the cooling and warming of cryopreservation process for making a vetrous state. But I think the most important points you need to consider before you selecting the single or the mixture from permating (has low molecular wieght such as EG, PE, DMSO, ...) or non permeating (PEG, sucrose, trehalose, ..) CPAs are:
1) The toxicity level of CPA is correlated with exposure time that decided according to the speed penetration.
2) The viscosity degree of CPA is correlated to chemical structure (especially with agents has methyl group), which bind water molecules in vitrous state and prevent the ice injury.
3) Thermal propteries of any vitrification compounds should show you the critical cooling and warming rates you needed for preventing the ice formation or deviftrification during cryopreservation progress.
Best wishes
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